As part of an effort by Russellville officials to crack down on illegal dumping, four individuals have received criminal citations.

Code Supervisor Bruce Moore said the city has experienced continual problems with dumping at Orbit Lane on the north end of the city. A number of man hours have been spent, especially by the Recreation and Parks Department, to clean up the area, only to have more items dumped there.

Moore noted the dumping was actually occurring on property owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps installed a gate to block access to the deeper parts of Orbit Lane, but then dumpers simply started dumping trash in front of the gate.

To remedy the problem, Moore said the city installed a game camera, previously used at another illegal dump site, and used it to monitor the area.

“Within a week we had really good evidence,” Moore said. “... We got pictures that let us track individuals down with their (vehicle) tag numbers.”

The camera was then moved to another Orbit Lane location and provided evidence for two other individuals who were illegally dumping at the site.

Altogether four people, two men and two women, were identified. Moore said because the dumping was happening on Corps property, the next step was to present the evidence to an officer with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, who then issued citations.

The four individuals were scheduled to appear Tuesday before District Court Judge Don Bourne. Two received guilty sentences, Moore said, and each received 10 days in jail, $830 in fines and 16 hours community service picking up litter. A third was in jail on an unrelated matter and was expected to address the matter before his release. A fourth individual pleaded not guilty and will have a trial in the matter.

Moore said the city is pleased with the outcome and hopes the city’s proactive stance will discourage others from dumping. The gate in the area has been moved all the way to the highway in an effort to prevent any more items being left there, and the next step will be working to clean up existing trash at the site.